Prof. Wijesinha responds to The Island report

Advisor to the President on Reconciliation and UPFA parliamentarian Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha replying to our news report headlined "Reintegration into society of LTTE combatants not properly done" published yesterday has sent the following clarification:

"I was surprised by the article in today’s Island which attributed various statements to me. I believe it was based on the press conference organized by Rotary on Wednesday June 20th, and I would have welcomed more coverage of the different points covered, including the support given by Rotary to Reconciliation work, in particular with regard to educational exchanges.

"However, that was omission, and I suppose one cannot object to what the media omits, provided there is no actual distortion. That was not the case with the article. What was wrong was the inclusion of much that I did not say and indeed knew nothing about. 

"I did not mention precise numbers of those indicted and those under investigation. and I still have no idea as to whether the figures your reporter gives for these are correct. I did mention categories, but these included a G category, consisting of those who were released almost immediately. I also mentioned that, whereas initially it was thought that perhaps categories A and B and C would be prosecuted, the Rehabilitation authorities decided subsequently that this would probably not apply to categories B and C, most of whom have also now been released.

"More significantly, on Wednesday, I did not know about the Courts that are to be set up in Anuradhapura and Vavuniya and Mannar. I can confirm now though that that is planned, in accordance with the pledge made by government to expedite cases of the detained, and indeed to use rehabilitation rather than custodial sentencing as a remedial measure in as many cases as possible. I only found this out yesterday, at the consultation chaired by the Secretary to the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms, held in connection with expediting implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan. Consolidating and developing reintegration work was also discussed there, and I hope that we will soon be able tp pursue this with the same efficiency and success as was apparent, as registered too by opposition politicians, in the rehabilitation programme."

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